The Time Is Now

(Published Feb. 2, 2007, 9:38 a.m.)

Editor's Note: The following is a letter to The Time Is Now, a private charity serving Walworth County. The founder, who knew poverty as a child, now provides help for those in need. Every penny donated goes to the needy for daily necessities of life. Donors will receive a tax-deductible itemized receipt showing exactly where every penny was spent. We'll publish a letter most weeks.

M y dear friends,

It has come to my attention that a child was going to school very hungry. It was during the school lunch time that one of the adults at the school noticed this small-framed child, who received a free lunch due to the National School Lunch Program, was eating as if the child had not eaten since the previous lunch the day before. It is very difficult to go up to a child and ask what is going on at home and if there is any food. Instead the adult came to me and asked me if I would mind checking on them at home.

There was little to no food at the apartment where this child lived. I had asked a few questions and the mother was quickly in tears. I excused myself after about 10 minutes. I soon returned with bags of food. I did not stay very long; I could sense the embarrassment this mother felt, even though she so desperately needed nourishment. I returned a few days later and discovered other help was needed. There is no reason any of our good fellow Americans should go hungry like this, when they are within our reach. We need to reach out to them. We need to make some changes, by having more food, by letting everyone know how, when and where to get food from the food pantries.

It is up to us to feed our own. There is hunger all over the world. At the present time, it is our duty to feed those in desperate need, living in the pain of hunger, within our local communities. I pray that everyone reaches out. When that happens no one should go hungry, at least in our communities where we can personally make a difference.

Even though we have 14 food pantries, we need more. These are satellite sights. If you are interested in feeding the hungry in your area, please contact us. We will help you get set up at Second Food Harvest. We will connect you with other pantry volunteers who know how to operate a pantry. Please join us in feeding the hungry. Thank you for caring and sharing.

Here is how you can help

Please donate to your local food pantry, but make checks out to Second Food Harvest or your food pantry and include a note to the pantry to purchase food from Second Food Harvest, or donate to The Time Is Now to Help and say, "apply for food."

Food drives and donations of food should be in the form of coins, dollar bills and checks, not food. Why? We can get five times the amount of food from Second Food Harvest, at 18 cents per pound.

When you donate a can of food or a box of cereal, the same amount of money can buy many more cans of food and four or five boxes of cereal. If everyone gave the same amount they have been, but in the form of money to Second Food Harvest, the food pantries would never run out of food-we would be able to give more food and our fellow Americans in our communities would not go hungry.

A special thank you to: Frank Guske, all the Scout leaders, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and all the parents, Allan Starks and the Rhoades Foundation, Bill McEssy, owner of our local McDonald's, Bernard and Jean Labovitch, Tom and Kathy Murray, Barry and Jeri Lutz, Karen and James Goodrick, Steven and Susan Woodcock, Louise and Clifford Morris, Faye Witt, Marlene Wertz, J and V Getka and in memory of Blade Smith and all of you who support The Time Is Now to Help donation boxes, including the businesses that allow our donation boxes in their places of business. Anyone who would like a Time Is Now to Help donation box in your business, please call 249-7000.

Desperately needed cars: If anyone has a car you can donate, knowing you will be helping people get back on their feet, out of their desperate need for transportation to work, etc., please call 249-7000. We have many in desperate need of reliable transportation, so they can regain their independence, retain their jobs, provide food and necessities for their families and ease their pain and suffering.